Ink transfer pump and printer

The ink transfer pump design with a diaphragm, ring, and protrusion support members addresses sealing issues, enhancing stability and reducing ink leakage for reliable ink transfer and printing.

JP2025125470APending Publication Date: 2025-08-27MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024021537
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-02-15
Publication Date
2025-08-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing ink transfer pumps with diaphragms face challenges in stably sealing the diaphragm, leading to potential ink leakage.

Method used

The ink transfer pump design includes a diaphragm with a ring portion and protrusion, supported by first and second support members with accommodating portions and a protrusion accommodating portion to prevent elastic deformation, ensuring stable sealing by maintaining line contact and accommodating the protrusion to suppress radial movement.

Benefits of technology

This configuration stabilizes the diaphragm sealing, reducing ink leakage and ensuring reliable ink transfer, thereby supporting stable printing operations.

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Abstract

To seal a diaphragm in a stable manner.SOLUTION: An ink transfer pump includes: a diaphragm; a first support member for supporting a first surface side of a peripheral edge part of the diaphragm; a second support member arranged on a second surface side of the diaphragm; a ring part of a curved shape so that a connection part of the first support member and the second support member becomes line contact; and a protrusion of a rectangular shape in a cross sectional view, which is provided along a circumferential direction on an inner peripheral side of the ring part, and protrudes at least on one side of the first surface side and the second surface side. The diaphragm includes a ring part provided over one round in a circumferential direction on an outer peripheral side end part. The first support member includes a first storage part for storing the ring part, and the second support member includes a second storage part for storing the ring part together with the first storage part. The first storage part and the second storage part press the ring part so as to sandwich the same in the state of storing the ring part. The support member corresponding the protrusion of the first support member and the second support member includes a protrusion storage part for storing the protrusion so that the protrusion is not elastically deformed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink transfer pump and a printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Inkjet printing devices use an ink transfer pump such as a diaphragm pump to transfer ink from an ink supply source to a head (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-190439 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an ink transfer pump having a diaphragm as described in Patent Document 1, a configuration is required that stably seals the diaphragm.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has as its object to provide an ink transfer pump and a printing device that are capable of stably sealing a diaphragm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The ink transfer pump according to the present invention comprises: a diaphragm having a first surface and a second surface on a front and a back surface and being elastically deformable; a first support member supporting the first surface side of a peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm; a second support member disposed on the second surface side of the diaphragm so as to sandwich the peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm together with the first support member, the second support member being formed with an ink inlet and outlet portion and forming, together with the diaphragm, a storage portion for storing ink flowing in from the inlet portion; and a drive unit that transfers the ink from the inlet portion to the outlet portion via the storage portion by deforming the diaphragm; the diaphragm being provided around one circumference on an outer peripheral end portion of the peripheral edge portion, the first support member and the second support member being arranged on the second surface side of the diaphragm so as to sandwich the peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm around one circumference and a protrusion portion that is rectangular in cross section and is provided circumferentially on the inner periphery of the ring portion at the peripheral portion and protrudes toward at least one of the first surface side and the second surface side, the first support member having a first accommodating portion that accommodates the ring portion, the second support member having a second accommodating portion that accommodates the ring portion together with the first accommodating portion, the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion press the ring portion so as to sandwich it while accommodating the ring portion, and the support member of the first support member and the second support member that corresponds to the protrusion has a protrusion accommodating portion that accommodates the protrusion so as not to elastically deform the protrusion.

[0007] A printing device according to the present invention has a head that ejects ink onto a medium, and transfers the ink using the ink transfer pump described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink transfer pump and a printing device that can stably seal a diaphragm. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram that schematically illustrates an example of a printing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an ink transfer pump. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the ink transfer pump in an assembled state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3 (the part surrounded by the dashed line). [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the ink transfer pump, showing a first state in which the diaphragm protrudes toward the first surface side. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the ink transfer pump, illustrating a second state in which the diaphragm protrudes toward the second surface side. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink transfer pump according to a modified example of the ring portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink transfer pump according to a modified example of the ring portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an ink transfer pump and a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic example of a printing device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 100 includes an ink supply source 10, a supply valve 20, an ink transfer pump 30, a damper 40, a head 50, a transport unit 60, and a control unit 70. The printing device 100 also includes a supply flow path R. The supply flow path R connects the ink supply source 10 and the damper 40. The supply flow path R may include a degassing unit that degasses the ink, for example, upstream of the ink transfer pump 30. The supply path R may include a buffer that temporarily stores ink, for example, between the pump 30 and the damper 40. The printing device 100 may also include a circulation flow path that circulates ink stored in the damper 40 to the supply flow path R.

[0012] The ink supply source 10 is a supply source that supplies ink to the head 50. The ink supply source 10 may be configured to have one or more cartridges that contain ink.

[0013] The supply valve 20 is provided in the supply flow path R and opens and closes the supply flow path R. When the supply valve 20 is open, ink flows from the ink supply source 10 to the supply flow path R. When the supply valve 20 is closed, ink does not flow from the ink supply source 10 to the supply flow path R. The opening and closing operation of the supply valve 20 is controlled by the control unit 70.

[0014] The ink transfer pump 30 transfers ink along the supply flow path R. The ink transfer pump 30 transfers ink contained in the ink supply source 10 to the damper 40. In this embodiment, the ink transfer pump 30 is a diaphragm pump. The configuration of the ink transfer pump 30 will be described later. The operation of the ink transfer pump 30 is controlled by the control unit 70.

[0015] The damper 40 supplies ink transferred from the ink supply source 10 to the head 50. The damper 40 has an ink chamber 41 that stores ink. The damper 40 supplies the ink stored in the ink chamber 41 to the head 50. A plurality of dampers 40 may be provided. When a plurality of dampers 40 are provided, a plurality of ink transfer pumps 30 are provided corresponding to the number of dampers 40.

[0016] The head 50 has a plurality of nozzles 51 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) that eject ink Q. The head 50 is provided so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. The operation of the head 50 is controlled by a control unit 70.

[0017] The transport unit 60 places the medium M on it and transports the medium M. The transport unit 60 transports the medium M, for example, in a sub-scanning direction that is perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The transport operation of the transport unit 60 is controlled by the control unit 70.

[0018] The control unit 70 comprehensively controls the operation of the printing device 100. The control unit 70 includes a communication unit 71, a processing unit 72, and a storage unit 73.

[0019] The communication unit 71 performs wired or wireless communication with external devices and includes an interface such as a network interface card.

[0020] The processing unit 72 performs various types of information processing and includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0021] The processing unit 72 controls the operations of the supply valve 20, the ink transfer pump 30, the head 50, and the transport unit 60. The processing unit 72 outputs a control signal S1 for controlling the opening and closing operation of the supply valve 20. The processing unit 72 outputs a control signal S2 for controlling the operation of the ink transfer pump 30. The processing unit 72 outputs a control signal S3 for controlling the operation of the head 50. The processing unit 72 outputs a control signal S4 for controlling the operation of the transport unit 60.

[0022] The storage unit 73 stores information such as various programs, data, etc. The storage unit 73 includes storage such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an ink transfer pump 30. FIG. 2 also shows a view of the second support member 33 from below. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ink transfer pump 30 in an assembled state. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3 (the portion surrounded by the dashed line). As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink transfer pump 30 includes a diaphragm 31, a first support member 32, a second support member 33, and a drive unit 34. Note that the configuration of the drive unit 34 is shown schematically.

[0024] The diaphragm 31 is in the form of a film or a thin plate, and has a first surface F1 and a second surface F2 on the front and back sides. Hereinafter, with the diaphragm 31 as the reference, the space on the first surface F1 side (lower side in the drawing) will be referred to as the first space K1, and the space on the second surface F2 side (upper side in the drawing) will be referred to as the second space K2. The diaphragm 31 is elastically deformable. The diaphragm 31 is formed using, for example, a rubber material, a resin material, or the like. The diaphragm 31 may be configured by molding different materials into different portions. The diaphragm 31 is formed in an elliptical or oval shape in a plan view.

[0025] The diaphragm 31 has a deformation portion 81 and a peripheral portion 82. The deformation portion 81 is disposed in the center of the diaphragm 31. When driven by the drive unit 34, the deformation portion 81 deforms to protrude toward the first space K1 side or to protrude toward the second space K2 side.

[0026] The peripheral edge portion 82 is disposed around the deformation portion 81. The peripheral edge portion 82 is provided with a ring portion 83 and a protrusion portion 84.

[0027] The ring portion 83 is provided around one circumference on the outer peripheral end of the peripheral edge portion 82. The ring portion 83 has a curved shape so that the contact portions with the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 are in line contact. In this embodiment, the ring portion 83 has a circular shape in cross section. That is, the ring portion 83 is formed in a so-called O-ring shape.

[0028] The protrusion 84 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the ring portion 83. The protrusion 84 is disposed between the ring portion 83 and the deformation portion 81 in the radial direction of the diaphragm 31. The protrusion 84 protrudes toward at least one of the first surface F1 side and the second surface F2 side of the diaphragm 31. In this embodiment, the protrusion 84 will be described taking as an example a configuration in which the protrusion 84 protrudes toward the second surface F2 side of the diaphragm 31. Note that the protrusion 84 may be configured to protrude toward the first surface F1 side of the diaphragm 31, or may be configured to protrude toward both the first surface F1 and the second surface F2 (see the dashed dotted line portion in FIG. 4).

[0029] The protrusions 84 have a rectangular shape in cross section. The protrusions 84 are provided along the circumferential direction. The protrusions 84 may be provided around one circumference in the circumferential direction. Note that the protrusions 84 are not limited to being provided around one circumference in the circumferential direction. If the diaphragm 31 is elliptical or oval, the protrusions 84 may be provided only on the inner circumferential side of a portion of the ring portion 83 along the major axis direction or longitudinal direction. Furthermore, a plurality of protrusions 84 may be arranged so as to be discrete in the circumferential direction.

[0030] The first support member 32 supports the first surface F1 side of the peripheral edge portion 82 of the diaphragm 31. The first support member 32 is formed in an annular shape corresponding to the outer diameter of the diaphragm 31. The first support member 32 has a shape with a hollow center. The first support member 32 is formed using, for example, a resin material or the like.

[0031] The second support member 33 is disposed on the second surface F2 side of the peripheral edge portion 82 so as to sandwich the peripheral edge portion 82 between itself and the first support member 32. The second support member 33 can be formed, for example, using a material that is transparent to laser light. In this configuration, for example, the diaphragm 31 is placed in a predetermined position on the first support member 32, and the second support member 33 is disposed so as to sandwich the diaphragm 31 between itself and the first support member 32. In this state, laser light is irradiated from above the second support member 33 so as to pass through the second support member 33, thereby forming a configuration in which the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 are welded together with the diaphragm 31 sandwiched between them.

[0032] The second support member 33 has an inlet portion 85, a storage portion 86, and an outlet portion 87. The inlet portion 85 is connected to a portion of the supply flow path R downstream of the supply valve 10. Ink flows into the inlet portion 85. The storage portion 86 stores the ink flowing in from the inlet portion 85. A check valve 85a is provided in the inlet portion 85. The check valve 85a allows ink to flow in the direction flowing into the storage portion 86 and regulates the flow of ink out of the storage portion 86. The storage portion 86, together with the deformation portion 81 of the diaphragm 31, forms a second space K2 that stores ink. The outlet portion 87 is connected to a portion of the supply flow path R upstream of the damper 40. Ink flows out of the outlet portion 87. A check valve 87a is provided in the outlet portion 87. The check valve 87a restricts the flow of ink into the storage portion 86 and allows the flow of ink out of the storage portion 86.

[0033] The first support member 32 has a first accommodating portion 88. The first accommodating portion 88 accommodates the ring portion 83 of the diaphragm 31. The first accommodating portion 88 is in line contact with the ring portion 83. The second support member 33 has a second accommodating portion 89. The second accommodating portion 89 accommodates the ring portion 83 of the diaphragm 31 together with the first accommodating portion 88. The second accommodating portion 89 is in line contact with the ring portion 83. With the ring portion 83 accommodated in the first accommodating portion 88 and the second accommodating portion 89, the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 press the ring portion 83 in the normal direction of the diaphragm 31. The ring portion 83 elastically deforms so as to be crushed by the pressure.

[0034] A recess 88a is provided in the first accommodating portion 88. The recess 88a is provided at the inner circumferential end of the first accommodating portion 88. The recess 88a forms a gap between the ring portion 83 in an elastically deformed state. A recess 89a is provided in the second accommodating portion 89. The recess 89a is provided at the inner circumferential end of the second accommodating portion 89. The recess 89a forms a gap between the ring portion 83 in an elastically deformed state.

[0035] Further, the second support member 33 is provided with a protrusion accommodating portion 90. The protrusion accommodating portion 90 accommodates the protrusion 84 of the diaphragm 31 so as to prevent the protrusion 84 from elastically deforming. The protrusion accommodating portion 90 is formed as a recess that is rectangular in cross section to correspond to the shape of the protrusion 84. The depth of the protrusion accommodating portion 90 is set so that, when the protrusion accommodating portion 90 accommodates the protrusion 84, a gap is provided between the protrusion accommodating portion 90 and the end of the protrusion 84 in the protruding direction. By providing the protrusion accommodating portion 90, the protrusion 84 is engaged with the protrusion accommodating portion 90, restricting radial movement. Therefore, radial displacement of the diaphragm 31 can be suppressed. In addition, when the protrusion portion 84 is configured to protrude toward the first space K1 side of the diaphragm 31, the protrusion accommodating portion 90 is provided on the first support member 32, and when the protrusion portion 84 is configured to protrude on both the first surface F1 and the second surface F2 of the diaphragm 31, the protrusion accommodating portion 90 is provided on both the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 (see the dotted line portion in Figure 4).

[0036] The driver 34 is disposed in the first space K1. The driver 34 has a drive source such as a motor, and transmits a drive force generated by the drive source to the diaphragm 31, thereby deforming the diaphragm 31. The driver 34 presses the deformation portion 81 of the diaphragm 31 toward the second space K2. The driver 34 also releases the pressure on the deformation portion 81. An elastic member 35 is provided on the second support member 33. The elastic member 35 is supported by the second support member 33 and applies an elastic force to the diaphragm 31. In other words, the diaphragm 31 is constantly subjected to this elastic force toward the first space K1. The driver 34 can press the diaphragm 31 toward the second space K2 by applying a force greater than the elastic force of the elastic member 35. By switching between pressing and releasing the diaphragm 31, in combination with the elastic force of the elastic member 35, it is possible to deform the diaphragm 31 towards the first space K1 side and the second space KF2 side.

[0037] Next, we will explain the operation of the printing device 100 configured as described above. When an operation to perform a printing operation is performed, the printing device 100 transfers ink from the ink supply source 10 to the head 50, while controlling the processing unit 72 to move the head 50 in the main scanning direction, and relatively moves the transport unit 60 on which the medium M is placed in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, thereby ejecting ink Q from the nozzles 51.

[0038] When transferring ink, the processing unit 72 opens the supply valve 20 and controls the operation of the drive unit 34 of the ink transfer pump 30 to transfer the ink. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the operation of the ink transfer pump 30. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a first state in which the diaphragm 31 protrudes toward the first space K1, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing a second state in which the diaphragm 31 protrudes toward the second space K2.

[0039] 5, when the driving unit 34 is not driving the diaphragm 31, the diaphragm 31 maintains a state in which it protrudes toward the first space K1 due to the elastic force of the elastic member 35 provided on the second support member 33. In this first state, the inflow portion 85 is open, ink is stored in the storage portion 86, and the outflow portion 87 is closed.

[0040] When a driving force greater than the elastic force of the elastic member 35 acts on the diaphragm 31 toward the second space K2 by driving the driving unit 34, the diaphragm 31 changes from the first state shown in Fig. 5 to the second state shown in Fig. 6. Due to this change, the inflow portion 85 is closed, the outflow portion 87 is opened, and the ink stored in the storage portion 86 flows out from the outflow portion 87 toward the damper 40.

[0041] When the driving force on the diaphragm 31 is released by driving the driving unit 34, the diaphragm 31 is pressed toward the first space K1 by the elastic force of the elastic member 35, and changes from the second state shown in Fig. 6 to the first state shown in Fig. 5. Due to this change, the inflow portion 85 is opened, the outflow portion 87 is closed, and ink flows from the inflow portion 85 into the storage portion 86.

[0042] In this way, the state of the diaphragm 31 is repeatedly switched between the first state and the second state, thereby transferring ink from the upstream side to the downstream side of the supply flow path R. This transfer of ink transfers ink from the ink supply source 10 to the damper 40.

[0043] When the diaphragm 31 switches between the first state and the second state, the deformation portion 81 deforms, causing a force to act on the peripheral edge portion 82, pulling it radially inward. If the sealing force at the peripheral edge portion 82 is insufficient, the holding position of the diaphragm 31 may shift inward. In this case, gaps may be formed between the diaphragm 31 and the first support member 32 and second support member 33, and ink stored in the storage portion 86 of the second support member 33 may leak around the peripheral edge portion 82 toward the first support member 32.

[0044] In contrast, in this embodiment, the ring portion 83 is formed so that the contact portion with the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 is line contact. Therefore, when the diaphragm 31 is housed in the first housing portion 88 of the first support member 32 and the second housing portion 89 of the second support member 33, the diaphragm 31 is sandwiched between the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 with sufficient surface pressure ensured. In addition, the diaphragm 31 is provided with a protrusion 84 that is rectangular in cross section and protrudes toward the second surface F2, and the second support member 33 is provided with a protrusion housing portion 90 that houses the protrusion 84. This makes it possible to stably seal the diaphragm and suppress ink leakage.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink transfer pump 30A according to a modified example of the ring portion. FIG. 7 shows an enlarged portion of the cross-sectional configuration of the ink transfer pump 30 in an assembled state. As shown in FIG. 7, the ring portion 83A may be X-shaped in cross section. In this case, the ring portion 83A is curved so that the contact portions with the first storage portion 88 and the second storage portion 89 are in line contact. With this configuration, the seal line in the ring portion 83A is taut, ensuring a more reliable seal.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ink transfer pump 30B according to a modified example of the ring portion. FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the cross-sectional configuration of the ink transfer pump 30 in an assembled state. As shown in FIG. 8, the first accommodating portion 88 and the second accommodating portion 89 may be formed so as to press the ring portion 83B from the outside to the inside in the radial direction. In this way, the design concept of the seal of the ring portion is not limited to the face seal described above, and a design concept of a radial seal ring portion 83B as shown in FIG. 8 can also be selected.

[0047] As described above, the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment includes the diaphragm 31 having a first surface F1 and a second surface F2 on the front and back sides and being elastically deformable; the first support member 32 supporting the first surface F1 side of the peripheral edge 82 of the diaphragm 31; the second support member 33 disposed on the second surface F2 side of the diaphragm 31 so as to sandwich the peripheral edge 82 of the diaphragm 31 together with the first support member 32, the second support member 33 having the ink inlet portion 85 and outlet portion 87 formed therein and forming, together with the diaphragm 31, the storage portion 86 for storing ink flowing in from the inlet portion 85; and the drive unit 34 which transfers ink from the inlet portion 85 through the storage portion 86 to the outlet portion 87 by deforming the diaphragm 31. The diaphragm 31 is provided around one circumferential circumference at the outer circumferential end of the peripheral edge 82, and the first support member 32 supports the first surface F1 side of the diaphragm 31. The support member 32 has a ring portion 83 that is curved so that the contact portion with the member 32 and the second support member 33 is line contact, and a protrusion portion 84 that is rectangular in cross section and is provided circumferentially on the inner side of the ring portion 83 at the peripheral portion 82 and protrudes toward at least one of the first surface F1 side and the second surface F2 side. The first support member 32 has a first accommodating portion 88 that accommodates the ring portion 83, and the second support member 33 has a second accommodating portion 89 that accommodates the ring portion 83 together with the first accommodating portion 88. The first accommodating portion 88 and the second accommodating portion 89 press the ring portion 83 so as to sandwich it when the ring portion 83 is accommodated. The support member of the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 that corresponds to the protrusion portion 84 has a protrusion accommodating portion 90 that accommodates the protrusion portion 84 so as to prevent the protrusion portion 84 from elastically deforming.

[0048] According to this configuration, the ring portion 83 is formed so that the contact portion with the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 is line contact. Therefore, when the diaphragm 31 is housed in the first housing portion 88 of the first support member 32 and the second housing portion 89 of the second support member 33, the diaphragm 31 is sandwiched between the first support member 32 and the second support member 33 with sufficient surface pressure. This makes it possible to reduce the reaction force against the first support member 32 and the second support member 33. In addition, the diaphragm 31 is provided with a protrusion 84 that is rectangular in cross section and protrudes toward the second surface F2, and the second support member 33 is provided with a protrusion housing portion 90 that houses the protrusion 84. This makes it possible to stably seal the diaphragm and suppress ink leakage.

[0049] In the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment, the protrusion accommodating portion 90 is formed so that a gap is left between the end of the protrusion 84 in the protruding direction when the protrusion accommodating portion 90 accommodates the protrusion 84.

[0050] This configuration allows the filling of the protrusions 84 to be adjusted to match the material properties of the diaphragm 31 .

[0051] In the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment, at least one of the first storage portion 88 and the second storage portion 89 has recesses 88a, 89a so that a gap is formed between the ring portion 83 in an elastically deformed state.

[0052] This configuration allows adjustment of the filling of the ring portion 83 in accordance with the material properties of the diaphragm 31 .

[0053] In the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment, the ring portion 83 has a circular shape in cross section.

[0054] According to this configuration, it is possible to keep the surface pressure of the line contact of the seal line of the ring portion 83 high while keeping the crushing force of the ring portion 83 low.

[0055] In the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment, the ring portion 83A has an X-shape in cross section.

[0056] According to this configuration, the seal line is tensioned, so that sealing performance can be ensured more reliably.

[0057] In the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment, the first containing portion 88 and the second containing portion 89 are formed so as to press the ring portion 83 in a sandwiching direction.

[0058] According to this configuration, a so-called face seal can be selected as the design concept for the seal of the ring portion 83B.

[0059] In the ink transfer pump 30 according to this embodiment, the first accommodating portion 88 and the second accommodating portion 89 are formed so as to press the ring portion 83B from the outside to the inside in the radial direction.

[0060] According to this configuration, a so-called radial seal can be selected as the design concept for the seal of the ring portion 83B.

[0061] The printing device according to this embodiment has a head 50 that ejects ink onto the medium M, and transfers the ink using the ink transfer pump 30 described above.

[0062] This configuration makes it possible to stably seal the diaphragm and suppress ink leakage, thereby enabling appropriate printing operations while suppressing ink consumption.

[0063] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the ink transfer pumps 30, 30A, and 30B described in the above-described embodiments are configured to be used when transferring ink from the ink supply source 10 to the damper 40 along the supply flow path R, but are not limited to this configuration. The ink transfer pumps 30, 30A, and 30B may also be used when transferring ink along a flow path other than the supply flow path R, such as a circulation flow path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] F1...first surface, F2...second surface, K1...first space, K2...second space, M...media, Q...ink, R...supply flow path, supply route, S1, S2, S3, S4...control signal, 10...ink supply source, 20...supply valve, 30, 30A, 30B...ink transfer pump, 31...diaphragm, 32...first support member, 33...second support member, 34...drive unit, 35...elastic member, 40...damper, 41...ink Chamber, 50...head, 51...nozzle, 60...transport unit, 70...control unit, 71...communication unit, 72...processing unit, 73...storage unit, 81...deformation unit, 82...periphery, 83, 83A, 83B...ring unit, 84...projection unit, 85...inflow unit, 85a, 87a...check valve, 86...storage unit, 87...outflow unit, 88...first storage unit, 88a, 89a...recess, 89...second storage unit, 90...projection storage unit, 100...printing device

Claims

1. a diaphragm having a first surface and a second surface on the front and back sides and being elastically deformable; a first support member that supports the first surface side of the peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm; a second support member that is disposed on the second surface side of the diaphragm so as to sandwich the peripheral edge of the diaphragm together with the first support member, the second support member having an ink inlet and outlet formed therein, and that forms, together with the diaphragm, a storage portion that stores the ink that flows in from the inlet portion; a driving unit that transfers the ink from the inflow portion to the outflow portion via the storage portion by deforming the diaphragm; Equipped with The diaphragm is a ring portion provided around one circumference in the circumferential direction at an outer peripheral end of the peripheral edge portion, the ring portion having a curved shape such that contact portions with the first support member and the second support member are in line contact; a protrusion portion that is rectangular in cross section and is provided on the inner peripheral side of the ring portion along the circumferential direction of the peripheral edge portion and protrudes toward at least one of the first surface side and the second surface side, the first support member has a first accommodating portion that accommodates the ring portion, the second support member has a second accommodating portion that accommodates the ring portion together with the first accommodating portion, The first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion press the ring portion so as to sandwich the ring portion in a state where the ring portion is accommodated therein, The support member on the side corresponding to the protrusion of the first support member or the second support member has a protrusion accommodating portion that accommodates the protrusion so that the protrusion does not elastically deform. Ink transfer pump.

2. The protrusion accommodating portion is formed so as to leave a gap between the protrusion accommodating portion and the end of the protrusion in the protruding direction when the protrusion accommodating portion accommodates the protrusion.

2. The ink transfer pump of claim 1.

3. At least one of the first housing portion and the second housing portion has a recess so that a gap is formed between the first housing portion and the ring portion in an elastically deformed state.

2. The ink transfer pump of claim 1.

4. The ring portion has a circular shape in cross section.

2. The ink transfer pump of claim 1.

5. The ring portion has an X-shape in cross section.

2. The ink transfer pump of claim 1.

6. The first and second housing portions are formed to press the ring portion in a sandwiching direction.

2. The ink transfer pump of claim 1.

7. The first and second receiving portions are formed to press the ring portion from the outside to the inside in the radial direction.

2. The ink transfer pump of claim 1.

8. The ink transfer pump according to claim 1 further comprises a head for ejecting ink onto a medium, and the ink is transferred by the ink transfer pump according to claim 1 . Printing device.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Diaphragm pump, pump unit, and inkjet printer

    JP2019190439A